Blue Bell Rotary, Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County partner on Norristown home

WHITPAIN — Members of the Rotary Club of Blue Bell and Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County have big plans for Norristown’s Airy Street, and they’re seeing those plans through, one house at a time.

On Feb. 5, at the Rotary Club’s weekly meeting at Normandy Farms, members from each organization met and hashed out the finer details of their restoration plans for a three-story Airy Street home.

According to Habitat’s Development Director Kim Tobin, the brick building, which has been standing tall for more than a century, is an “historic home” worthy of extensive refurbishing.

Tobin, in fact, has been involved in this project since she started working with Habitat in 2011.

The Airy Street project marks the first partial-house partnership for the Rotary Club of Blue Bell and Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, Tobin said.

“We’ve partnered for years,” she said, but mostly on fundraising events. A hands-on project of this nature is a new venture for the partnership.

“Blue Bell Rotary has always looked to partner with organizations where we can see a very tangible and beneficial outcome, and we are far more encouraged when we can do more than offer financial aid,” said Rotary Club President Lisa Miller.

“We wanted to see the results of helping a family in need,” Miller said.

And members of the Rotary are indeed seeing the results firsthand. The club had its first workday March 8, according to Miller, and will continue its efforts throughout the coming months, along with Habitat volunteers.

In addition to volunteer workers, “each organization brings, typically, at least $25,000 or more to help cover cost of rehabilitation,” Tobin said. Much of this money came from fundraising events held over the last two years, including two golf tournaments and the Chefs of the Burbs live auction, held at the Blue Bell Country Club.

Add to the equation some sponsor donations from Montgomery County Affordable Trust and Villanova University — plus a handful of student volunteers — and work on the building should wrap up by the June 22 home dedication, when the house’s residents will receive the keys to their newly restored home.

But this isn’t the end for Habitat and Airy Street. Following completion of this house — as well as two new construction homes in North Hills, to be completed in May — Habitat is planning another restoration on Airy Street, just two blocks away from its current project.

“We try to transform a community rather than do one house here and there,” Tobin said.